I've owned several Stevens Mod. 200 rifles in the past, including a .243, .270, 7mm-08 and 30-06 and still own one in .223. The original model 200s had a stagger feed blind magazine that was attached to the action, whereas the new ones now have an inline magazine that is attached to the stock. They are basically a Savage mod. 10 or 110 without the Accu-trigger. They can be very accurate and with handloads I've been able to get most to shoot sub-MOA groups. The scopes that come with them as a package are usually fairly cheap and in my opinion, not worth it. The stocks are plastic and the front end is flimsy. They are pillar bedded and as long as no pressure is put on the forend, they do the job. Replacement stocks are very available for the older stagger feed models, but still hard to find for the newer models. The barrels are very easily replaced. While the triggers are not Accu-triggers, they can be adjusted, but are not the best. I have bedded the actions on mine and in some cases replaced the trigger with an aftermarket model. One other nice feature for the woods is that they are very lightweight. I see new ones selling for $350 out the door, including tax, transfer and background check.
Don

welcome to L/R/H the 243 would work for varmints as well here in Ohio we can use centerfire rifles for varmint hunting I use a 22-250 for woodchucks but have used up to the 500 s&w mag and the 450 marlin on them also. not my fault they walked on to the range while target practicing.
robster

Thanks for the advice and help. I am hoping to buy a new one in the next few weeks. any hints on what i should get when it comes to handloading supplies or kits to start out with. I have only reloaded shotgun shells in the past. So I will also be learning this new skill from scratch.